August 2011

Kevin Taylor Set to Present at Broker Expo South 2011

Posted in Press on August 24th, 2011 by Steve

One of the biggest and best insurance events of the year, the Broker Expo South 2011, is fast approaching, and our very own Kevin Taylor is set to be one of the speakers. With over 25 years experience in and around the insurance and marketing industries, Kevin is well equipped to deliver a fantastic presentation to all who will attend.

The event will take place on the 15th September at Mercedes-Benz World in Weybridge, Surrey. Kevin’s presentation, “Making the Most of Social Media”, will focus on how businesses can benefit from using social media, and how they can maximise the potential of platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and of course now, Google+.

Social media has exponentially expanded over recent years, and it only looks likely to grow further. Kevin’s presentation will be crucial to all those who are excited, and curious, about the use of social media in relation to business and insurance. Social media is a way in which a business can increase avenues of communication and assemble online communities. All of which are absolutely vital to businesses building and maintaining an online presence and keeping up to date with rapidly evolving technology.

Kevin’s presentation will be one of four expert-led workshop sessions. The workshops are designed to improve each attendee’s understanding of each of the topics, which include regulation, diversifying revenues, social media and entrepreneurial thinking. The workshops are also intended to captivate the minds of those in attendance and provide each person with valuable information to take away and apply to their own brands and organisations. This is just one of the many reasons why this is an event you should have penned into your diary.

The event will also include fantastic networking opportunities. This has always been an effective way to spread the word about your own business, or indeed meet invaluable contacts for the future. There is also an extensive range of exhibitors set to attend this year, including the likes of AXA Insurance and LV=.

If you are looking for some expert tips and advice, and a wonderful opportunity to meet friendly faces from in and around the industry, then you will need to make sure you attend this year’s Broker Expo South. We are very much looking forward to seeing you there!

Social Media, Search or Email Marketing?

Posted in Email Marketing, Search Engines, Social Media on August 16th, 2011 by Angelina

In recent times, social media has captured the majority of the limelight compared to other channels such as email and search, in terms of digital marketing channels. Marketers love writing and talking about social media, as it’s fast growing, exciting and less money is actually spent on it. We have also seen that in the last couple of years, social media is gaining more importance in Google’s ranking algorithm.

However, according to a study by a Pew Internet survey conducted in May 2011 and results released this week, the proportion of people in the USA using social networking services is 65%, whereas 92% of internet users send email and use search engines. These figures remind us that even though social media is important, we shouldn’t let social become too much of a distraction.

Compared to less than 5 years ago, when only around 20% of adult internet users in the USA were tweeting and liking, 65% is actually a good figure and a tremendous growth, which undoubtedly cannot be ignored. However, when it comes to established, continued usage, social media is still not yet up to the same level as email and search.

Usage of search and email is also astonishingly consistent across demographic categories. For example –
96% of those aged between 18-29 use search engines and 87% of those who are 65 and older use search engines too. 94% of internet users in the 18-29 category use email while 87% of those in the 65+ group also use email.

Usage is also consistent through socioeconomic categories as 90% of those earning $30,000 per annum use search engines and 98% of those earning $75,000+ per year also use search engines, which isn’t significantly higher.

Some people may think that email is dying, however we can see from the survey results this is not true. Many organisations are still undecided about social media and can see emails as a vital part of their business as they use it every day.

Even though there’s a buzz around social networking sites, mainly because they are seen as “the new kid on the block”, search and email should not be forgotten. At the moment search and email can be seen as currently the two most reliable digital marketing channels. Saying this, all three channels have unique attributes and if they are all integrated in a marketing campaign, this can lead to a successful campaign.

Matthew Oxley talks Privacy and Google+ with Fourth Source

Posted in Press on August 16th, 2011 by Angelina

This week, Matthew Oxley, Gravytrain’s Head of Search, talked about the evolution of social search and Google+ over at Fourth Source.

At the moment social search is getting people in digital marketing excited, as it brings some great opportunity for users, as well as a number of prospects for advertisers.

However, the main area of discussion in this article is the possibility of Google+ overstepping the line and breaching people’s privacy and how so far, most social networks have done this by misjudging user’s needs for confidentiality. Matthew points out that, “Facebook is only just getting over their PR nightmares with regards to privacy, and Linkedin have more recently come under fire about their new social ads.”

Matthew explains that in day to day life, people like to keep personal information private, whether it’s a young lady reading her kindle to avoid stares from fellow commuters or an employee being coy about his whereabouts to avoid office gossip.

Matthew’s article considers the benefits of social search on Google+ but also illustrates a scenario to point out the negative points.

You can read the rest of Matthew’s views and the full article on Fourth Source.

Quizzing the Experts in Marketing

Posted in Press on August 9th, 2011 by Angelina

Today, Gravytrain’s CEO, Kevin Taylor, took part in the Guardian Career’s Live Q&A about careers in marketing, alongside eleven other panellists from a range of fields. It was an opportunity for people who want to move into marketing, or graduates who wanted to start their careers in the industry, to raise any questions or get advice about how to get their foot in the door.

The Q&A was also an opportunity to find out more about how the experts got into the industry themselves, whether it was client side or agency side. Some went to university to study marketing degrees which led to a job, some did internships in marketing and decided to stay in the industry, while others went straight into work after school and found their path into marketing.

One of the questions put to the panellists was, what are the main differences between agency side and client side marketing?

Bryony Thomas, owner of marketing consultancy, Clear Thought Consulting Limited, who has experienced both client and agency side marketing, explains what to expect in agency side, “You get variety by working on a number of different clients. You learn excellent project and people management skills – which are skills that will always be useful.”

She carries on saying, “The biggest benefit of agency life that I’ve found formed the foundation to my career is pace and work ethic. You have to meet tight deadlines. You have to meet the client’s brief. There is nowhere to hide.”

Bryony explains that working in a client side, “You get more of the bigger picture, putting together an integrated plan using many niche suppliers. It’s a slower, but often more considered, pace.” She advises that you get a much more rounded view of business by working with peers in other disciplines.

On the whole, most of the panel believed that it is not just a degree you need to get into marketing nowadays, it’s about gaining work placements, volunteering work or internships and getting valuable experience to put on your CV.

Kevin states “What you need above everything is the right attitude, a desire to learn, strong work ethic and determination”.

If you are interested in finding out more about the marketing industry, the full Q&A session can be read on Guardian Careers.

Online Marketing Meetup on the HMS President

Posted in News on August 8th, 2011 by Angelina

Last week, the Gravytrain team attended the latest Online Marketing Meetup, which was held on the wonderful HMS President. It was a chance for the team to meet and network with other people on a permanently moored ship along the Embankment, who also have a passion for digital marketing!

Not only was it a chance to network, there were also three guest speakers at the event including Jeremy Waite, Head of Social Media at Phones4U, Alex Myers from Manifest London PR Agency and Heather Taylor from the BBC who talked about her experiences of Social Media and Online PR. It was good to gain knowledge about other case studies and to also hear from other industry experts.

We met other businesses and enjoyed discussing online marketing over a few drinks, as well as speaking to individuals who wanted to find out more about the industry.

It was nice to be somewhere where everyone had the same interest! Thanks to Gus and Matt from QUAD London for organising the event. The Gravytrain team had a great evening and are looking forward to the next Online Marketing Meetup.

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